Understanding the Impact of Spousal Factors on CRS Scores in Canadian Immigration

Publish Date: 16/02/2024

Having a spouse or common-law partner in your immigration application can impact your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, with both positive and negative effects.

Here's a breakdown of how the presence of a significant other can influence your CRS score:

Category A: Human Capital Factors

Age: Having an accompanying spouse or common-law partner may negatively impact your score for age. Applicants with an accompanying significant other can earn a maximum of 100 points, while those with a non-accompanying spouse can earn 110 points.

Level of Education: The level of education of your spouse or common-law partner can affect your score. Applicants with an accompanying spouse or common-law partner can earn a maximum of 140 points, whereas those with a non-accompanying spouse can earn 150 points.

Official Language Ability: Language proficiency in English and French is crucial. Having an accompanying significant other may reduce your score, with a maximum of 32 points per language skill for applicants with a spouse and 34 points for those without.

Below are the grids outlining this scoring weightage.

Canadian Work Experience: Similar to education, the Canadian work experience of an accompanying spouse can impact your score. Applicants with an accompanying spouse can earn a maximum of 70 points, while those without can earn 80 points.

Category B: Spouse or Common-law Partner Factors

Spouse's Level of Education: You can receive a maximum of 10 points based on your accompanying spouse's level of education, compensating for the potential reduction in points in Category A.

Spouse's Official Language Ability: An additional 20 points are available for your spouse's language ability, considering only the first language. This compensates for the fact that the second language is not assessed for accompanying spouses.

Spouse's Canadian Work Experience: An extra 10 points are awarded for your spouse's Canadian work experience, balancing the point allocation between those with accompanying and non-accompanying spouses.

The Bottom Line:

• The maximum number of CRS points achievable in Category A + Category B remains the same for those with an accompanying or non-accompanying spouse or common-law partner.
• While including a spouse can lead to a reduction in some points under Category A, additional points in Category B can compensate for this.
• The choice to include a significant other in the application is often non-negotiable, reflecting the importance of family in the immigration process.

Note: If your spouse or partner is already a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you will earn points as if you don't have an accompanying spouse or partner. In such cases, spousal sponsorship may be an option.